


In spite of ourselves.

by Nerd_alert19



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-23 23:43:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20016730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerd_alert19/pseuds/Nerd_alert19
Summary: AU first time they meet story. Daisy grows frustrated when neither of them seem to want to make the first step. She decides to take matters into her own hands.





	1. Chapter 1

He had blue eyes, and he smelled nice. That’s all she knew about him after two months of stalking him. She wasn’t really stalking him…per say…she just made sure she was at the coffee shop every morning at 8am sharp when she knew he would be there.

She was such a loser.

Worse than that, she didn’t even try to talk to him. She just stood in line and tried to catch a glimpse of him when he wasn’t paying attention. The most ambitious she had ever gotten was pretending to need napkins while he was stirring his coffee, which is how she knew he smelled nice.

She was pathetic.

She definitely needed to stop this. She didn’t even like coffee and their tea was lackluster. She glanced at her watch. 7:58.

She’d stop tomorrow.

The coffee shop was warm when she walked in and immediately took the chill from her bones the late autumn temps had caused. She tried to appear nonchalant as she allowed her eyes to wander around the coffee shop in search.

He was two customers in front of her today. He was already ordering, and she was a little too far back to catch his coffee preference…which was probably for the best. She was already toeing a very thin line between admirer and creeper, and memorizing his coffee order was tipping the scales a bit too much.

He paid and as he left the line to wait at the side counter for his finished order, he turned slightly. His eyes caught hers, and she tried to look away quickly so as not to get caught; but he had a smile on his face when she allowed her eyes to drift back. He had turned to grab his now finished coffee from the counter, and she refused to let her eyes wander down his frame to check him out while he was distracted.

Well…she refused to do it twice.

He turned back and started heading toward the door while she feigned being suddenly very interested in the menu board despite the fact that she orders the exact same thing every time: Green tea with a splash of lemon juice. In reality she was mentally adding to her list:

Blue Eyes

Smells nice

Has a great smile

She stepped up to place her order, but the young girl at the register stopped her. “The guy that just left already bought yours. You can just wait at the counter. It should be ready any second now.”

“Green tea with a splash of lemon for Melinda?” The Barista called out.

She stepped up to accept the drink and wondered how he knew her order.

He knew her order.

Wait a minute….he knew her name!

She took a sip and decided that it actually was really good tea.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

  
She was beautiful, and her hair smelled like gardenias. She also preferred tea over coffee.

He was a dork.

He’d been coming to the same coffee shop at 7:55 sharp for weeks, because the first time he had visited, he had seen her. He was captivated by her from the moment he saw her across the small caffe and had returned the next morning at the same time in hopes of seeing her again. As luck would have it, she was a regular there and had yet failed to show up at 8am.

He was nervous

Today was the day. He was going to talk to her and maybe ask for her number. He’d caught her looking at him across the cafe on more than one occasion, and was determined to make a move before he lost the chance.

He saw her come in, and mentally started the pep talk in his head. He could do it. He could talk to her and ask if she wanted to grab dinner sometime. …

He’d ask her tomorrow.

Turns out today was not the day. He didn’t want to chicken out completely though, so he ordered the tea the way he had heard her order it the previous week.

He was such a coward.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

They were so annoying.

It was obvious that they liked each other. She always checked him out when he wasn’t looking, and he always got this goofy smile on his face when she walked in. It started off as romantic, but now it’s been going on for two months.

Now it’s just ridiculous.

She was at the point of just shouting at them both to get it together, but he hesitated today after ordering his usual. Then he ordered a tea, but not just tea. He ordered tea exactly the way she always ordered it. There was no way it was for anyone but her.

Finally! Good grief it took him long enough.

“Her name is Melinda….by the way” she said quietly to him while he paid.  
He didn’t even try to play it off and act confused. He just blushed and glanced down with a quiet, “Thanks”.

She was so excited!

This was finally going to happen! After months of watching them pining for one another, he was finally going to make a move.

But then….he left.

Melinda had a confused look on her face which faded into a smile when she mentioned that Phil had bought her tea. She didn’t go chasing after him though, which would have been TOTALLY romantic. She just picked up her tea with a soft smile on her face and headed out the door and in the opposite direction Phil had a few minutes before.

Ughh! They were so annoying!


	2. Chapter 2

She needed a plan.

She was so sure when he ordered her tea yesterday that he was going to ask her out.

Idiot.

It's now 7:45 which means that she has 10 minutes before Phil comes in and 15 minutes before Melinda arrives.

She needs to think fast.

She quickly turned to Lincoln who was preparing a double shot latte and told him that no matter what was ordered when she tapped her nose, he had to make a green tea with a splash of lemon. He looked at her confused, but she just rolled her eyes and told him to go with it. She then carefully explained what to do if she tugged on her ear just in time to see Phil walking in through the cafe door.

When he made it to the front of the line to order, she got Lincoln’s attention and tapped her nose. He seemed confused, so she cleared her throat and very obviously tapped it again. Phil would have noticed something was up if he wasn’t staring at the door waiting for Melinda to come in. The clock hit 8am, and right on cue, Melinda walked in and got in line. Luckily Lincoln put the pieces together and tapped his nose with a smile. She just rolled her eyes and hoped he did what she had asked.

He was just lucky he was so cute.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He needed a plan.

He really wanted to ask her out today, but he needed a plan. He wasn’t the kind of guy that could just play it cool and wing it, so he had convinced himself that he would go home and formulate a solid plan; and then he could ask her out tomorrow.

Tomorrow would be good.

He glanced at his watch, and for a moment he was worried that she wouldn’t come; but as his watch clicked over to 8am, she walked in the door.

He smiled and turned back to order his coffee. The barista seemed a little weird today and kept tapping his nose. He thought maybe the guy had just sampled too many shots of espresso and needed to eat some carbs to settle down.

He ordered his usual and then moved to the side counter to wait for his drink. From the new location he could sneak glances at Melinda while he waited.

“Cappuccino with peppermint for Phil?” The barista called out.

Phil stole one last glance at Melinda before reaching for his coffee. Before he could even get the lid to his lips, he knew it didn’t smell right.

This wasn’t what he ordered.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She needed a plan.

She either needed to stop this unhealthy obsessive need to see the guy, or she needed to just ask him out. She couldn’t decided which direction to go in.

Hence, the need for a plan.

She walked in the door at 8 am sharp, and her eyes immediately began seeking him out. He was waiting at the front of the line, and he smiled as their eyes met before turning back to place his order.

He really did have a great smile.

He was at the side counter waiting for his order by the time she made it to the front of the line to place her own. She ordered her usual and saw the girl at the register, Daisy, look at the barista and tug on her ear. He seemed confused at first but then nodded with a big smile and tugged on both of his own ears.

Daisy seemed frustrated.

This all felt weird.

The barista had called him ‘Phil’, and she turned in time to see him lift the coffee to his lips but then frown before he even took a sip. He then shot a look of surprise toward Daisy who just shrugged and smiled.

She felt like she was watching a tennis match with her head bobbing back and forth between the two. Phil just smiled and stood waiting at the counter holding the cappuccino without attempting to even drink it.

“Green tea with a splash of lemon for Melinda.” The barista called out.

As soon as she reached out to pick it up, Phil placed his hand on her wrist to stop her.

“I wouldn’t drink that if I were you.” He cautioned

She looked at him surprised, and a little flustered because he was smiling at her and her brain was struggling to focus.

“Why not? Did you see the barista put something in it? He seemed a little off today.” She asked concerned.

“I know, right?! I think he’s been testing coffee all morning and needs a snack. He didn’t put anything in your drink though. He just got our drinks mixed up.”

She lifted the cup from the counter to her lips and her nose wrinkled at the scent of coffee and peppermint. She glanced back to the barista who was watching them with a big smile on his face. Her eyes then shifted to Daisy who pretended to be casually studying the ceiling tiles.

Wow. Super subtle Daisy.

She turned back to see Phil smiling and then blush before holding out his hand to introduce himself.

“I’m Phil by the way.”

“Melinda” she said as she reached her hand out to take his. She tried to ignore the slight jolt she got when they touched and tried really hard to focus on the words coming out of his mouth.

She really liked that mouth.

She needed a plan.


	3. Chapter 3

She was really clever.

He should have known by the way she supplied him with Melinda’s name yesterday that the girl was aware of his crush. He suspected that she had been watching the two of them and picked up on it, but he never imagined she would get involved. 

He watched as Melinda ordered, and Daisy tugged her ear. It was almost comical watching her interact with the barista. They were certainly not as subtle as they thought. As he saw the barista pour steamed milk into the cup meant for Melinda, he understood their plan. 

It was a good plan. 

So he waited patiently at the counter holding Melinda’s real drink in his hand while she made her way over to the side counter. As soon as the barista called her name and she reached for her drink, he thought it best to warn her. 

“I wouldn’t drink that if I were you.” He cautioned and watched as a look of surprise and suspicion flittered across her face. 

“Why not? Did you see the barista put something in it? He seemed a little off today.” She asked with a raised brow and look of concern on her face.

“I know, right?! I think he’s been testing coffee all morning and needs a snack. He didn’t put anything in your drink though. He just got our drinks mixed up.”

He watched as she lifted the cup from the counter to her lips and smiled as her nose wrinkled at the scent of coffee and peppermint. 

It was really cute, and he suddenly decided to use Daisy’s plan to his advantage. 

“I’m Phil by the way.” He said with an outstretched hand and held his breath waiting for her to take it. 

“Melinda” she said as she reached out her hand to take his. He tried to ignore the slight jolt he got when they touched and pleaded with his brain to make words come out of his mouth. 

“Melinda, would you like to sit and join me for a little while.” He asked and tried not to sound as nervous and hopeful as he felt. “Unless you have somewhere you need to be…” he trailed off.

The smile that graced her face as she held out the cup in her hand to switch with him made his heart race. 

“I’d love to join you, Phil.” She replied and he was sure he was grinning like an idiot as he led her to an empty table. He turned back to see Daisy watching them with a big smile on her face as well and held his hand up to give her an air high-five across the room. 

She was really clever. He liked that kid. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This was really happening. 

Her plan had worked and they were standing at the side counter talking. She watched as Melinda lifted the cup to her lips and almost laughed at the look on her face when she smelled the coffee. Melinda hated coffee and had told her as much the first time she had come in. She watched as Melinda turned to look her way and quickly looked up at the ceiling. She was super smooth and subtle. 

She should be a spy. 

She was pretty sure they didn’t suspect her involvement and looked over to see Lincoln grinning at them like an idiot. They would definitely suspect him. It really was a good thing he was so hot. 

She watched as they shook hands and smiled at the blush on Phil’s face as he talked to her. He seemed nervous, but at least the big dork was finally making a move. The smile on his face as Melinda nodded and switched their drinks made her heart feel full. 

It was a great plan.

She watched as he started to lead her to an empty table and congratulated herself on the success of her brilliant scheme. Phil turned back to her with the biggest smile on his face and sent an air high-five in her direction. She chuckled and held her hand up to return it with a nod. 

She stole glances at them in between customers and smiled at how well they seemed to be getting along. It was over an hour later when he stood and helped her into her jacket and Melinda smiled at the chivalrous gesture. Melinda looked her way and gave her a soft smile and wink before allowing Phil to lead her out the door. 

She sighed in contentment as she watched them leave and this time head in the same direction. She turned to find Lincoln watching her. 

“I knew you were a romantic at heart” he teased and she rolled her eyes. 

“We need to work on your subtly, Lincoln, and come up with signals you won’t forget. You almost blew it! I’ll have to teach you how to be subtle like I was.” She said, and he nodded in agreement. 

Maybe they could work on that over dinner.


End file.
